The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), in collaboration with Pathways to Antimicrobial Clinical Efficacy (PACE), has released five new collections of drug-resistant bacteria for researchers. These collections aim to help in checking new treatments and diagnostic tests against current antimicrobial resistance (AMR) patterns.
AMR occurs when bacteria evolve to survive drugs, making some infections harder to treat. The new panels address a gap in research resources by providing 145 bacteria, mostly collected in the UK within the last five years, which reflect resistance patterns seen globally.
Professor Mark Sutton, Scientific Leader for Antimicrobial Resistance at UKHSA, stated that developing new treatments and diagnostic tests quickly is essential as resistance changes. These new panels, available through UKHSA’s National Collection of Type Cultures (NCTC), offer researchers a resource that reflects current infections in hospitals and clinics.